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Exclusive: Archie launches new magazine, Sonic digest

Archie Comics keeps coming up with new things, and here are two more: A deluxe, large-format Archie magazine and a Sonic the Hedgehog digest.

The Archie Comics Super Special magazine is planned as a quarterly publication, full color, with 128 pages of stories “from the Archie vault,” i.e., stories that have run before, along with a new story, “Betty and Veronica Save Christmas (or Not!).” The Archie folks are certainly making good use of their vast library by repackaging the material in different ways for different audiences — comics, digests, themed collections — and this is a format that kids will probably find appealing, especially as they will most likely be seeing the stories for the first time. This first, Christmas-themed issue, which will include creator spotlights and other bits of Archie news, will sell for $9.99 and will arrive in comics shops Oct. 31.

The Sonic Super Digest is just what it sounds like. Archie has been publishing Sonic collections in small trade-paperback format, with heavy paper and heavier covers, but this is the first time Sonic has appeared in the less expensive digest format. Priced at $3.99, this 128-page digest will include previously released Sonic stories, plus coloring pages and other bonus content. The digest will be out on Nov. 7, and like the Archie Super Special, it will be quarterly. Both are scheduled for newsstand release the same month as well.

Here’s Archie Co-CEO Jon Goldwater’s take on the new formats:

At Archie, we’re always playing with formats, distribution methods and packaging to see what clicks best with readers and fans. This isn’t to say we’re choosing one way over the other, of course. But we know that there’s a vibrant audience out there for Sonic, so why not provide the readers with a handy, digest-size collection of fun Sonic content? And on the flipside, why not give Archie fans a more curated and interactive vision of their favorite stories? We’re excited by these two new launches and look forward to seeing how they resonate with our readership.